Demonic Magician

The travel back to the cottage was… tiring and drab. It would perhaps be amusing in hindsight, because it mirrored our return to the fallen fort… but right now, I didn’t have the heart for that. I’d assumed Ren and I had borne the brunt of the combat, but seeing how withdrawn and beaten the rest were, the zombie hordes had done a number on them that I was too stage-blind to clock.

Not that they held any grudge about it. We knew diving in headfirst was a risky plan. If the Crimson had been smarter or better, then we’d be undead chow. But then… that was always the crux of it. We always played a better hand than our opponents. I shouldn’t will them to be more competent when they were the aggressors.

And so, after defeating an almost unimaginable horror, we walked in near silence under dark skies. Not only the necromancer and his group, but others as well. A large dent in the Lady’s forces, I hoped.

Our travel back to our temporary home was uneventful, the System itself traumatized over what had happened. Each of us bearing a little of that burden as well.

Even now, as we had settled in at the cottage, conversations were brief and muted. Content with a little safety and time to decompress. Needed it so that we didn’t crack like thin pottery.

It was dark now, dusk arriving with a continued cover of gray clouds. No rain, but it mirrored our moods in a narratively satisfying way. Campfire flickered with the slight breeze. Bright and warm.

Tanya had used all her idols to set up alarms around the entrance so we’d know in good time if we were followed. Was a shame I hadn’t screwed things up over at the first zombie fight, otherwise we’d still have that Teleport Scroll to return here after our outpost victory. The fateweaver was now sitting on the floor up against Wolf, knitting.

The bear himself was fast asleep. We had cooked the heartiest stew imaginable, which he had thoroughly enjoyed - and was content enough to hit the rest button as soon as allowed. As much as he had been improving lately, I was slightly nervous about him getting worn out like this again anytime soon.

Quinn was also asleep. Somewhat unlike him, he’d retired early to the cottage. At first I tried to casually accuse him of getting bitten by a zombie and trying to hide it - but as we each proved that we were safe, that cliche died. I would have been able to see the debuff icon, anyway. Originally, he had only signed up for showing us around for a short period, but now he was knee deep in the blood and filth. He’d come into his own, though, and cooled his temperament to fit in well. Especially with Tanya.

And Ren?

The elf was beside me on the swinging chair amongst the flowers. Not such a dreamy scene during the night, but there was comfort in it. On her side with an arm around me. Awake, but silent. Lips had been sealed, no information about her Guardian powers had come out just yet.

At first I wasn’t sure if she was mad at me for getting her that without warning her first - or maybe just the day endured was enough to be grumpy about. After her bath, she seemed relaxed and content, so I didn’t think any grudge was held. I went last, as promised, which was only brief torture. Once I hit that hot water though… I could have died. In a good way, for a change.

“I can hear your brain working overtime, trickster,” she said softly.

“Lots of things to process.”

Her hand ran up to feel around my jaw. “Huh. There is a little stubble growing. Miracles do happen.”

I smiled and closed my eyes. Something about this place always made the horrors of the world seem like a bad dream. Things had been getting progressively weirder and more dire, and we had become more extreme and dangerous to combat it. Untethered from reality.

If I didn’t know any better, my head injury at the start of all this was just me going into a coma. A fevered dream where I saved the princess and fought impossibly ridiculous enemies to… save the world. Perhaps I shouldn’t give that too much thought. System already slipped me enough untapped power under the table without it nodding along with my every manic thought.

“You doing okay, though?” I eventually asked.

“Hmm. I’m slightly… well, I feel awkward.”

“Oh?” I opened an eye and turned to look at her.

She nodded. “I’ve always had a strong Class, but stumbling into all this unearned bullshit power is offputting. Is this how you feel all the time?”

“It’s what gives me an ego, at least.” I smiled and put my fingers through her hair.

We were actually relaxing in casual clothes. After our outfits went away for repair, they stayed there. Comfortable and plain clothing that kept us warm enough out in the evening air. It felt right - like our performance had an actual end and we’d gone home to recuperate.

“I can’t be like that.” She pouted. “If I flaunt the fact that I have a rifle and Guardian powers, the System will come and kick my ass.”

“Nah. I mean, I survive it. You did want to share the same fate.”

“I still do.” She smiled. “Thank you, by the way.”

“For burdening you with greater powers?”

“Yeah. I mean, if you had taken it for yourself, I wouldn’t have minded… you are still the strongest of us all, so it would have made sense. But… the fact that you shared the power with me means more than any ring or tangible gift could.”

“Oh. I guess there’s no point giving you this then.” Into my hand I produced the ring I had stowed away since the campground.

“Max… are you…?”

I wrinkled up my face, realizing I’d perhaps stuck my feet in my mouth while my brain was still recovering. “It’s not… a proposal, as such. Just something to say I love you and that my soul is bound to you.”

“Handsome dickbag,” she cursed me. She extended her hand and allowed me to push it onto her ring finger. “Well, I’m going to wear it like an engagement ring, and flaunt it at all the jealous bitches.”

“Which ones are they?” I smiled as she admired the blue stone in the gift. It was her color.

“All of them.” She smiled and leaned closer to give me a kiss as her freshly bedazzled hand cupped at the side of my head. “Oh.” She moved away. “What’s this behind your ear?”

The sparkle in her eyes told me it probably wasn’t a dagger or a remote explosive device - although at this point, I was expecting anything. As her hand moved in front of my face, I saw that she held a similar ring that had a brief spiral of purple gemstone inlaid.

“My color.” I grinned. “You’ve been holding onto this?”

She nodded. “Since the campground. Just a little symbol to say that I love you too.”

I allowed her to push it onto my finger. Not only was I unsure if the System had anything like a marriage ceremony, but I doubted her elven traditions were anything like what I knew. Still, I was pretty sure our intentions were clear. Admiring the swirl of the purple, I couldn’t wait to accidentally de-glove my finger with it in battle.

“Now all that’s left is for us to become King and Queen of this world.” She grinned to herself and laid back down, nuzzling her face on my chest.

“Don’t tempt me,” I murmured. Once the Lady had been dealt with, and the world presumably returned to normal, there’d be some questions they’d need to answer. Assuming I kept my uncontested power, perhaps I could be voted in. Or however they were chosen. I turned my head to the future-Queen, who looked as though the warmth of our shared gifts was enough to set her off to sleep.

“Before we snooze,” I prompted, “how about cluing me in to what you know about your Guardian powers?”

She hummed before propping herself up. “I’m still… learning to understand it. But I think you’ve earned a little something.”

“I certainly have.” I grinned, but apprehension danced around behind my eyes just in case she summoned a giant… dire boar? Or sprouted dozens of sniper rifles from her arms. Not sure where I got that one from.

“Hat, please.”

From my Inventory I brought out my top hat and handed it to her. She placed it on my stomach and sat up properly beside it. Pushing the hair away from her face first, she cleared her throat, and then turned to face me.

Her hands went together in front of her and then moved apart. In between them an object appeared as if she was summoning it from her Inventory as slowly as I could. A short black rod that had… white tips at the ends.

My heart skipped a beat as my tongue stuck in my mouth.

With a short twirl of her magic wand, she then tapped on the rim of my hat. Raised an eyebrow toward me. Her other hand then went in and withdrew… a white rabbit.

“What…” my mouth opened and closed in shock and awe. “What?”

Ren put the rabbit on her lap and gave it a stroke, before giving me a wink.

“Looks like someone just graduated, huh?”

I stood at the window, staring out at the fresh dawn greeting the world. It was early - way too early to be up giving what we were recovering from. Still, I found myself unable to rest, and had woken before anyone else. Ren looked like a pointy-eared angel, drooling on her pillow amidst a mess of radiant hair.

With the events of the previous day, I had expected… something. Retaliation? Messages from the Lady or her ilk threatening us and pretending we didn’t just dismember an important part of her forces?

We’d stolen a Guardian’s power from her. Now we were even. The Lady herself, and whoever could make the puppet clones. I was thankful they hadn’t interjected to us attacking the outpost again, but perhaps they knew when to cut their losses.

As for Ren’s powers? It was hard to pin down the explanation without knowing who the Guardian was. But she now met me in the middle in another way. Able to borrow some of my skills, or at least something like that. It wasn’t overtly described - just as mine hadn’t been - so we were trying to make sense of it ourselves.

Mine was wish fulfillment, giving me what I desired. What I craved and hungered for. Hers was similar, but had a different nuance to it. Without patting myself on the back too hard, I reckoned her Guardian was about boosting your growth to something closer to the end goal. Grabbing her inevitable power from the future to use now.

Tyler had been a necromancer and had become unparalleled in the act - able to summon armies and a titan. Ren’s determination to be my equal and protégé in the field of magic gave her a taste of how much bullshit she’d also have one day. It was both humbling and exciting to see what she would truly be capable of.

A ping in my Chats diverted my attention away from pretending to look at the scenery. Eyes read over the text, my brow furrowing. I sighed deeply and closed my eyes. Now I felt tired.

“Everything okay, Max?”

I turned my eyes back to sleeping beauty and gave her a glum shrug. Would have been a blessing if I told her everything was fine and let her get back to sleep for a few hours. But no, we were ring-bound now, and she had to suffer alongside me for eternity. I was pretty sure how that was how it worked.

“That was our friend down in the Eternal Wardens.”

“Oh.” She closed her eyes and tried to bury her face in the pillow. “They heard the news.”

“It’s not that.” I turned back to the window, my fingers stretching and clasping in turn. Practiced motions for summoning my cards.

“They are under attack from something they say is worse than the Lady, and request our help.”